With the Wings holding a two-goal lead and looking for some insurance in the second period,
Henrik Zetterberg lined up for a face-off against Anze Kopitar. Zetterberg won the draw back to
Nicklas Lidstrom, who collected in the puck inside the LA blue line. The Wings’ captain faked a shot, and fired a pass to Zetterberg, who redirected the puck past goalie Jonathan Quick to give Lidstrom his 1,000th career NHL point, and the Wings a commanding 3-1 lead.
It was Lidstrom’s night, as he celebrated his career milestone. But goalie
Chris Osgood is once again the reason the Wings collected a victory. He turned aside 24 shots in the 5-2 win, and left his mark on the contest by helping the Wings’ penalty-kill unit hold the visiting Kings scoreless on four opportunities.
Coach Mike Babcock said
Valtteri Filppula has been the Wings’ most consistent and best forward through their first five games. In his sixth game, Filppula continued the trend. The Wings’ forward logged 22:32 worth of ice time Thursday, and six of them were on special teams. He was plus-one, with two shots and 12 face-off wins on the night. He also controlled the puck on both ends of the ice, and he was great defensively.
It’s an easy choice tonight, as Lidstrom eclipsed the 1,000 point mark. The Wings' captain also had an assist
Tomas Holmstrom's second-period goal. At the first TV time-out after his milestone assist, the Wings played a video honoring Lidstrom, which listed off his accomplishments. The future hall-of-famer waved to the crowd as they gave him a standing ovation at the end of the video. It was a great moment for the Wings’ leader.
After the game, Lidstrom was asked how it felt to finally accomplish the scoring feat. Here’s what he had to say:
“It feels great, it’s been a few games that people have been asking me about it, so it was great … especially doing it here at home, in front of the home fans. It was a great feeling.”
Kirk Maltby scored an impressive goal to give the Red Wings a two-goal cushion in the third. He created a turnover at center ice, then took off towards the LA end. He found himself alone with the puck in the slot, and wound up for a slap shot. Maltby blasted the puck over Quick’s shoulder for his second goal of the season. He had five goals last season.
The Red Wings host the Colorado Avalanche this Saturday. Currently on their longest road trip of the season, the surging Avs (4-1-1) hope to continue their successful start. The Wings posted a 1-1-2 mark against Colorado last season. ...For tickets to Saturday's game,
CLICK HERE.
